From WHYY.org – October 6 –
The School District of Philadelphia is changing its admissions system for selective middle and high schools in an effort to make the process more equitable. Traditionally, these schools have served a lesser share of Black and Latino students compared to the district as a whole.
Students will now apply for selective schools through a citywide, computerized lottery system overseen by central office staffers. In the past, school leaders made final admissions decisions and oversaw waitlists.
“There is a need to centralize the selection process as a way to help us dig deeper and to continue to grapple with the tension between objectivity and subjectivity in our process, as well as a way to really think about how do we build consistency so we see the equitable outcomes we desire,” said Sabriya Jubilee, the district’s director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The district is also implementing a zip code preference “for students that meet the [admissions] criteria and live in areas of the city that traditionally have had limited access to criteria-based schools,” said Karyn Lynch, director of student support services for the district.
The schools for which a zip code preference will be applied are Central, Masterman (which admits students starting in fifth grade), Carver High School of Engineering & Science, Academy at Palumbo, and Parkway Center City Middle College.
In a quest to be more equitable and antiracist, Philadelphia is moving to centralize selective admissions, making it more dependent on lottery and giving preference to students from underrepresented zip codes. #PHLedhttps://t.co/628iBacInW
— Chalkbeat Philadelphia (@ChalkbeatPHL) October 7, 2021
KYW reported that – School District of Philadelphia Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chief Sabriya Jubilee, said it’s part of the district’s pledge to be an anti-racist organization.
“We recognize that there will be people who are uncomfortable with it,” Jubilee said at a news conference Wednesday at district headquarters.
“But we’re leaning into that discomfort and we’re going to do what we need to do to do right by our students.”